1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to optical fiber cable splice closures and, in particular, to devices for mounting such splice closures to above-ground poles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical fibers, which are utilized as transmission media for the transmission of communications signals, typically are combined to form cables, with each of the optical fibers of such a cable being protected by at least one layer of coating material. Typically, the optical fibers are arranged in groups which are held together by tubes to form a core of the cable. This core or core tube typically is then enclosed in a protective jacket which oftentimes is formed of metal or plastic.
Regardless of the particular cable configuration utilized, it usually is necessary to splice together the ends of cables, which entails splicing together each of the individual fibers of a first cable to be spliced with a corresponding individual fiber of a second cable to be spliced. To this end, a splice closure typically is provided to retain the ends of the fibers and to protect the splices of the various fibers, such as from moisture, as well as other physical forces. Such a splice closure is presented, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,290, issued to Burek et al., and which is assigned to Lucent Technologies, Inc. In that arrangement, a base portion and a cover portion of the splice closure define an enclosure having open ends for cable entrance and exit. The base and cover portions preferably are substantially identical in shape and are formed of molded plastic material, with the portions being securable to each other by means of flanges, which extend outwardly from their respective portions, and which typically are secured to each other by bolts. A grip block is mounted within the enclosure for securing the cables to be spliced in place within the splice closure. Additionally, the splice closure preferably includes one or more ribs extending from the aforementioned flanges that are adapted to cooperate with fastening hardware for allowing the splice closure to be racked in a manhole or hung on an aerial strand.
In particular applications, it may be desirable to mount such a splice closure to a pole, in which case, the use of a pole-mounting device that is adapted to secure the splice closure to the pole is required. Such a device, however, has been heretofore unavailable.
Therefore there is a need for improved devices which address these and other shortcomings of the prior art.